Fri, Feb 02, 2018 page11

Think like a customer, Asustek chairman says

Given the rapid changes in the tech industry, the only way to survive is to think from the perspective of consumers, Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) chairman Jonney Shih (施崇棠) said yesterday.

“We need to overturn our previous thinking about product design, supply chains and manufacturing, and start to think like we are a service provider, servicing our customers. There is no other way to do it,” Shih said at the company’s annual banquet for employees at the Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taipei.

Asustek had a difficult year last year, recording its worst performance in the first half since the financial tsunami in 2008, he said, adding that this prompted it to embark on its biggest corporate restructuring project.

Asustek grouped its gaming-related businesses into a new unit and transfered hundreds of employees to a new unit focusing on software, hardware, quality control and management, Shih said, adding that the restructuring led to a better-than-expected performance in the third and final quarters of last year.

The momentum is expected to extend into this year, Shih said.

The company’s appointment of former Intel Corp vice president of Asia Pacific and Japan’s regional sales group Jerry Tsao (趙允明) as its chief operating officer was its latest effort to accelerate the growth momentum, Asustek said.

“Jerry Tsao was a warrior-like talent in Intel. I believe his expertise will be a big help to Asustek chief executive officer Jerry Shen (沈振來) in mapping out corporate strategies and operational plans,” Shih said.

Asustek is scheduled to release its earnings for last quarter on Friday next week.

The firm’s net income in the first three quarters of last year contracted nearly 20 percent year-on-year to NT$11.49 billion (US$393.4 million), or NT$15.48 per share, compared with NT$19.21 for the corresponding period in 2016.

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